Moreover. the carnage and cruelty of these attacks demonstrate vividly the terrible potential for genocide in areas like this and the urgent need for the ratification of the Genocide Convention. In the months preceding the Lempa attack. isolated murders and shootings were a common occurance in the area and discoveries of dozens of dead "companeros." or peasants. at a time was not at all usual. The increased terrorizing of the "compafieros" in El Salvador by the left and the right coupled with the luring prospects for peace in Honduras served to make Lempa a main thoroughfare for escaping refugees. Nevertheless. last years massacre surpassed all of the past attacks in both size and savagery. In March of 1981. a large group of refugees were sighted approaching the Lempa and preparing to swim across to the Honduras side. When the refugees reached the banks of the river. they were met by local priests. nuns. doctors. and volunteers from Honduras who proceeded to assist them in their crossing. For the first hour everything seemed to be going smoothly and greater and greater numbers of peasants entered the river to swim across. Then. with the water packed with people. helicopters suddenly appeared and started raking the river and its inhabitants with 50 caliber bullets. "Everyone ran for shelter." a U.S. fleldworker recalled. "We soothed the babies. while the helicopters tried systematically to massacre us all. riveting the river up and down. both shores. with machinegun fire." Before the helicopters had finished their grizzly task. 200 peoplethe majority women and childrenfloated dead in the water and scattered on the shores.
Keywords matched
refugees